Many families today have two wage earners and as a consequence, there can be a significant delay when they both return from work before the evening meal can be prepared. Not only that, but sometimes their schedules change during the day so that the time when the evening meal is to be prepared must be changed.
There are a number of disclosures in the prior art of combination refrigeration systems and heating units where the food is confined to the same space. U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,476, Goodman, et al., is an example of this, as is U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,626, Filipowski. While the prior art discloses various devices for pre-programming heating and cooking units, there is no showing of a unit that can be actuated subsequently by telephone circuit or Internet. In addition to the heating and cooling of foods, it is also sometimes desirable to actuate remotely other home appliances such as a washing machine or a dryer. Again, the prior art does not disclose any means for remotely actuating such home appliances.